NYAM part of historic reform to the Rockefeller Drug Laws

New York City ??? The New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) celebrates the New York State Senate’s passing of historic reforms to the Rockefeller Drug Laws just days after the Assembly passed the same reforms. The legislation now awaits Governor David Paterson’s signature to become law. After years of work, the bill enacts broad reforms to the Rockefeller Drug Laws, including employing an active public health model to expand drug treatment and alternatives to incarceration, and to invest millions in treatment.

NYAM and the New York State Senate are now waiting for Governor David Paterson's signature to pass the reforms to the Rockefeller Drug Laws.

"NYAM provided the legislators with something to be for rather than something to be against in this debate - a comprehensive public safety and public health approach to drug law reform. We worked to make the public health model a real alternative for the first time in this ongoing 35 year struggle," said Dr Ruth Finkelstein, Vice President of Health Policy at NYAM.

Passage of the bills comes just a week after Governor Paterson, Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver held a press conference to announce an agreement to reform the laws. The historic announcement was met with wide praise and support, in New York and around the country.

NYAM takes pride in being a part of this historic collaboration to reform the laws when at our joint Drug Policy Alliance/NYAM drug law reform conference “New Directions for New York: A Public Health and Safety Approach to Drug Policy” in January, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silvers announced for the first time that 2009 would be the year that the New York State Assembly would enact real, comprehensive, common-sense drug law reform to the Rockefeller Drug Laws to instead address the full range of public health issues that spring from illicit drug use.

Details of the new law include:

• Eliminating mandatory minimums by returning judicial discretion low-level drug law cases
• Allocating over 70 million dollars to expand treatment and re-entry services
• Expanding drug courts and alternatives to incarceration
• Allowing for approximately 1,500 people incarcerated for low-level nonviolent drug offenses to apply for resentencing

NYAM has been advancing the health of people in cities since 1847. An independent organization, NYAM addresses the health challenges facing the world’s urban populations through interdisciplinary approaches to innovative research, education, community engagement and policy leadership. Drawing on the expertise of diverse partners worldwide and more than 2,000 elected Fellows from across the professions, our current priorities are to create environments in cities that support healthy aging; to strengthen systems that prevent disease and promote the public’s health; and to implement interventions that eliminate health disparities.

Posted on April 8, 2009

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Contact:
Andrew J. Martin
Director of Communications
The New York Academy of Medicine
1216 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York 10029
212-822-7285
amartin@nyam.org

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